(Radio Iowa) – A “Safe Community Coalition of Fort Dodge and Webster County” has been formed. The group hosted a town hall meeting in Fort Dodge yesterday (Thursday) after three shooting deaths in the Fort Dodge last month. The meeting site was just four blocks from where an 18 year old was shot to death in early May. Fort Dodge Police Chief Dennis Quinn says communication and the public’s help can go a long way in helping to solve crime.

Webster County Sheriff Luke Fleener joined the police chief in speaking to a crowd gathered in a Fort Dodge church.

Randy Kuhlman is with the Fort Dodge Community Foundation who joined the local United Way in forming the new coalition.

Kuhlman’s group and the Webster County Sheriff’s Office has received a 200-thousand dollar federal grant from the Rural Crime and Violence Reduction to support the effort.